25 Zanzibar Marine Life Creatures That Will Amaze You

Zanzibar is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Known for its tropical beaches and rich history as a traditional trading hub, Zanzibar is also home to a large variety of marine life. From reef fish to many small marine life, Zanzibar is a great place for viewing sea creatures and taking amazing photos. This article provides a summary of some of the most popular Zanzibar marine life you are likely to find. 

Bottlenose Dolphin

These dolphins are mainly found in Mnemba Atoll and Nungwi although you can also spot them in multiple dive sites across Zanzibar.  The playful and friendly dolphins love playing in the waves, and will usually come close to the boats for a dive. They are also friendly to snorkel with, offering a unique experience for the visitors.

The life of a Bottlenose dolphin is an interesting one. The calves usually stay with their mother until they turn 2 years and in rare cases up to 5 years. Then, they gain their full independence and can travel up to 100km a day looking for food. With a life span of more than 40 years, they cover an extensive distance swimming throughout their lives.

Humpback Whale

The most exciting thing about humpbacks is that they are natural acrobatics. It is an exciting site to see them breech their 40-ton bodies completely out of the water. They are also great singers, with each population learning their own unique songs. You will likely spot these giant creatures in Leven Bank and Mnemba between August and September. 

White Tip Reef Shark

In contrast to the name shark, this is one of the most social fish in Zanzibar. You will usually find them lying on the ground motionless in large groups. They will be actively pumping water over their gills for respiration and often pose no threats. Unlike other types of sharks that need to be constantly moving, the white-tip reef shark enjoys staying in one place for a long time. You can sport them in Mnemba for most parts of the year. 

Green Turtle 

A popular Zanzibar marine life among tourists, the Green turtle is the second largest in their family after the leatherback one. Their name comes from the color of their fat rather than the shell as more people tend to believe. However, they are generally beautiful marine creatures, easy to spot and see.

A green turtle can weigh as much as 225 kg and can grow up to 1.2m in length. Due to their ability to hold breath for hours, they are great swimmers and divers. They are also quite friendly and easily swim alongside divers.

Octopus

Being one of the most intelligent invertebrates, the Octopus is a beautiful sea creature. They are known to learn through observation and can even solve problems. Some have been seen unscrewing a lid or even removing a plug to retrieve prey from a container. 

Octopuses are also masters of camouflage and can change their whole body color in just three-tenth of a second, making it hard for predators to catch them. These beautiful creatures can be spotted on most dive sites in Zanzibar, especially at night when they are actively hunting. 

Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish are quite common in Zanzibar waters. Known as the chameleon of the sea, cuttlefish quickly and easily change their color to match their surroundings. They are the most intelligent invertebrates and use this ability to camouflage as a tool to hunt, hide, communicate, or attract a mate. 

Mantis Shrimp

Another popular creature that you find in all dive sites in Zanzibar is the Mantis shrimp. With the best color vision on the planet, the Mantis shrimp is known for easily avoiding predators. Its eyes are mounted on its mobile stalks, which are constantly moving and are independent of each other. This means that they see from multiple directions at the same time.

When it comes to hunting, the Mantis shrimp is always on target. It has a striking punch of the same speed as a .22-caliber bullet. This allows it to attach its prey with a deadly strike, killing it instantly. While they may look nice underneath, it is best to keep your fingers away. 

Harlequin Shrimp

The Harlequin shrimp is another exciting creature in the Zanzibar marine life. They are known to spend their whole life with the same partner as they hint and defend their homes. Interestingly, Harlequin shrimps only eat starfish and they have a unique approach to their meal. Once they find a starfish, the male and female work together to overturn and disable it. They then carry it to their hiding place where they spend days feeding on it. Among the dive sites where you can find harlequin shrimp include the Magic Reef at night. 

Seahorses

Another popular marine life in Zanzibar is the seahorses. These can be found on the Magic Reef and Tumbatu Island. With their unique appearance, these creatures are a popular attraction, especially if you get to spot one. An interesting fact about seahorses is that they mate for life. They are also one of the few species on Earth where the male carries the unborn young. 

Trumpetfish

A true killing machine, the Trumpetfish is a great sighting in Zanzibar waters. They use one of the most spectacular methods of hunting known as shadow stalking to reach and attack their prey. The Trumpetfish will usually find a large herbivore like a parrot fish. It will then ride along the herbivore as a blind and as the unsuspecting prey gets closer, the trumpet fish darts out to catch its meal. 

Nudibranch

While exploring Zanzibar marine life, you are likely to encounter Nudibranch. These are sea slugs with a foot and leave a slimy trail when they pass. With more than 3,000 species of colorful nudibranchs, they can be fun to spot. Since they get their bright colors from the food they consume, you can spot different nudibranchs on the same site. Some look like corals, others like sponges while others appear as anemones. However, they have poor vision and are not able to see their own beautiful colors. 

FrogFish

Another marine creature in Zanzibar that does not really swim is the frogfish. Instead, they use their find to walk along the sea bed. An interesting fact about this creature is that its mouth can expand up to 12 times its regular size, which allows frogfish to swallow animals twice its size. These are also found on all five sites although they can be hard to spot since they are not actively moving. 

Scorpionfish

This is a large group of bottom-dwelling nocturnal predators. They usually spend the daylight hours blending in with the rocks, corals, and sand. They then actively hunt at night. With over 200 recognized species of scorpionfish, a few of them can be found in Zanzibar. 

Stonefish

Not all marine life in Zanzibar is harmless. The stonefish is the most venomous fish, and although they are not aggressive, they use camouflage as their defense mechanism. You will usually find this fish sitting amongst stones or coral rubble, blending seamlessly with their background. Sometimes they also bury themselves in the sand, leaving only the head and eyes exposed to the water. 

Lionfish

Another venomous fish in the Zanzibar marine life is the lionfish. It comes with 13 to 18 poisonous spines on the back of its body, with the venom primarily used in self-defense. They usually move in solitary or in a group of a male and several females. The male is highly territorial and quite fierce in protecting its territory.  

Napoleon Wrasse

This is the largest fish on the Zanzibar coral reef, measuring up to 2.3 m long, and can weigh up to 190 kg. Considered an eating machine, the wrasse can feed on giant clams, sea urchins, eels, starfish, and other smaller species of wrasse. You can spot these giant creatures at the Leven Bank or Mnemba Atoll. 

Bluefin Trevally

One of the strongest swimmers in Zanzibar waters, Bluefin trevally can swim for long distances in search of food. They are aggressive and relatively fast when hunting, and are known to even take food from the mouth of sharks when feeding. 

Blue Spotted Ray

This is a unique type of ray with blue spots on the body. It is usually easier to spot because they rarely bury themselves under the sand like most rays do. Instead, they hide under a rock using the bright blue spots on the back to warm predators to stay away. 

Porcelain Anemone Crab

Spotting the Porcelain Crab in Zanzibar can be quite interesting. It uses its 2 large claws to defend its territory rather than hunting as most other crabs do. When a porcelain is threatened, it will usually drop a claw to mislead its predator. However, this will eventually grow back in place. 

Moray Eel

Spotting a moray eel in Zanzibar is quite easy. Some of the most common ones include Peppered Morays, Honeycomb Morays, Giant Morays, Snake Eels, and Ribbon Eels. Since they have poor vision, they usually hunt at night relying on their keen sense of smell. They also have to constantly open and close their mouths to breathe, which gives them a unique appearance underwater. While this may seem like a threatening behavior, it is just their unique way of breathing.  

Ghost Pipefish

You will be amazed by this master of disguise. They may easily pass on like leaves, sponges, algae, or even seagrass if you are not keen enough. Some of the species found in Zanzibar include ornate ghost pipefish, Slender Ghost pipefish, and Seagrass Pipefish. They are usually found in Nungwi’s reef. 

Flying Gurnard

Although the flying gurnard does not actually fly, it mimics flying as a defense mechanism. When threatened, they will expand their fins (wings), scaring a predator. They then glide through the water using the pelvic fins as legs to walk along the bottom of the fish. These are quite interesting to spot, especially during night dives. 

Crocodile Fish

Just like the frogfish, the Crocodile fish is an ambush hunter that dwells at the bottom of the sea. It feeds off smaller fish and is a slow mover. Although it got its name due to its resemblance with the reptile crocodile, this fish is indifferent towards divers and relatively easy to approach. You can spot them, mostly in Magic Reef and Hunga. 

Pegus Sea Moth

Another bottom-dwelling sea creature in Zanzibar is the Pegasus Sea Moth. It mostly lives on Sandy beds, feeding on whatever they can find. An interesting feature is the way they use their body armor for protection against predators. They can easily shed the bony external armor when attached to rid themselves of the offensive organism.

Mauritius Scorpionfish

Also known as the Weedy Scorpionfish, this breed uses camouflage to blend into the environment. They then use their pelvic and pectoral fins to drag themselves along the seafloor. They use the same approach when hunting, by lying motionless on the floor. When an unsuspecting press passes, the strike.

Book a Zanzibar Trip with Bobby Tours

Whether you love snorkelling or the sign of marine life, a trip to Zanzibar allows you to spot some of the most amazing underwater creators. At Bobby Tours, we offer personalized packages for our visitors who want to tour Zanzibar. Get in touch with us today and let’s guide you on the best package. 

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